ThomasDenton 79 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/14/teacher-union-bigs-rake-in-dough-despite-budget-cuts-across-education-sector/ Seems like the only ones' pay ever taking a major hit is always the teachers, while admin and people like this rake in the big dough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/14/teacher-union-bigs-rake-in-dough-despite-budget-cuts-across-education-sector/ Seems like the only ones' pay ever taking a major hit is always the teachers, while admin and people like this rake in the big dough. that's no different than basically any other thing in the world...people who do the actual work rarely get paid close to what the pencil pushers of the world make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,742 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) Thats how things work nowadays. Look at the 1st sentence, the leaders of the two largest teachers unions in the U.S. saw their pay go up 20%! Twenty percent! With the country in the shape its in that is absurd. Really they should be ashamed of themselves. In todays world Unions are no differnt than a business, just a money making enterprise for a few. Edited July 14, 2012 by redtiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasDenton 79 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I really have no problem with the higher ups making more money. I mean, they obviously had to go through a lot of schooling and do a lot of work to get that position. But when you're talking about a pay difference between teachers who make $30,000-$50,000 and the union people (who's position is to get a better, and better paying, working environment for these teachers) who make $500,000 then there's a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I really have no problem with the higher ups making more money. I mean, they obviously had to go through a lot of schooling and do a lot of work to get that position. But when you're talking about a pay difference between teachers who make $30,000-$50,000 and the union people (who's position is to get a better, and better paying, working environment for these teachers) who make $500,000 then there's a problem. more money is one thing, but 10x salary is another...crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,742 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) Thats the problem that I have. Im no communist, I dont believe everyone should make the same wage. The people at the top should get paid more, they have put in the time and effort to get there and obviously have uique talents/skills in their field but like you said Lance, 10x the salary is crazy. Do these two union leaders really work harder than the teachers? Im just of the opnion that the workers deserve a bigger piece of the pie. Edited July 14, 2012 by redtiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance 228 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Thats the problem that I have. Im no communist, I dont believe everyone should make the same wage. The people at the top should get paid more, they have put in the time and effort to get there and obviously have uique talents/skills in their field but like you said Lance, 10x the salary is crazy. Do these two union leaders really work harder than the teachers? Im just of the opnion that the workers deserve a bigger piece of the pie. i don't think everyone should make the same either...all i am saying is that most of the time the people who do the actual work don't get paid as much as they are worth. Same as the military, the guy in the trench doing the fighting will be lucky to make $30k a year, while the guy who sent him there will bring in $150k+ Just the way it is, and it's wrong really...most people don't earn what they are worth, some make more than they are worth...sad but true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHS03 99 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Unions were a good thing back in the day when they were protecting individuals from unfair work policies. Now it is corrupt and need to be stopped. My dad is a member of the UMWA and when they sent him a magazine back in 2004 supporting John Kerry for President I knew at that point they were a corrupt organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasDenton 79 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I was told once in one of my college education classes that a lot of public school systems actually prefer candidates for positions that aren't affiliated with a union. Then, just as we were starting student teaching, they made us join a student union. I thought it was pretty odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtiger 1,742 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Were on the same page Lance. Youre right BHS03, today unions are all about making a profit and telling the workers that they are necessary. Imo, unions for the most part should be silent unless major issues arise(like in the 30s, '76 in Harlan, and the Pittston strike in '89/'90). Other than suations like that they really dont have a negative impact in my opnion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/14/teacher-union-bigs-rake-in-dough-despite-budget-cuts-across-education-sector/ Seems like the only ones' pay ever taking a major hit is always the teachers, while admin and people like this rake in the big dough. There are many, many, many grounds upon which to attack unions, but this might be the worst. Compare teaching to the private sector, where CEO salaries are 100x-500x what the average worker makes. Compare that to even the corporate grunts, who pull in 20x-40x what the average worker makes. A 10x increase from average to the top dog is VERY modest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasDenton 79 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 There are many, many, many grounds upon which to attack unions, but this might be the worst. Compare teaching to the private sector, where CEO salaries are 100x-500x what the average worker makes. Compare that to even the corporate grunts, who pull in 20x-40x what the average worker makes. A 10x increase from average to the top dog is VERY modest... I've just seen so much stuff like this in education, it makes me lose hope sometimes. Consider that many teachers are struggling to get more pay after not having a raise in several years and even going through numerous pay cuts, while people in admin positions (principals, school administration, and people like these union leaders who are supposed to be fixing this problem) rake in the big dough with little to no cutbacks. If they really wanted to help out, they'd share a little bit of that wealth for schools that need it. I remember a school district (which I won't name) that said the budget wasn't enough to buy new cars to transport handicapped students. The fleet of cars they were using were made in the very early 90's and were well worn and constantly needed repair. Not long after this announcement, a fleet of brand new Chevy Impalas was purchased by the board, not for the kids, but for the admin to drive to meetings so that they wouldn't have to burn they're own gas. We're talking about people who make bank and still use other people's money to meet their own needs/comforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 I've just seen so much stuff like this in education, it makes me lose hope sometimes. Consider that many teachers are struggling to get more pay after not having a raise in several years and even going through numerous pay cuts, while people in admin positions (principals, school administration, and people like these union leaders who are supposed to be fixing this problem) rake in the big dough with little to no cutbacks. If they really wanted to help out, they'd share a little bit of that wealth for schools that need it. I remember a school district (which I won't name) that said the budget wasn't enough to buy new cars to transport handicapped students. The fleet of cars they were using were made in the very early 90's and were well worn and constantly needed repair. Not long after this announcement, a fleet of brand new Chevy Impalas was purchased by the board, not for the kids, but for the admin to drive to meetings so that they wouldn't have to burn they're own gas. We're talking about people who make bank and still use other people's money to meet their own needs/comforts. What you're describing is more of a "the school boards in SWVA are awful and need complete overhauls" issue, not so much a "unions are destroying the education infrastructure" issue. I agree with you that there needs to be a massive shake-up in the school board constituency, particularly in Virginia counties that start with the letter "T". But unions? This is outside their ken. If you wanted to make a dent in the union salaries, here's just how little an effect it would have. Drop the 2 union heads' salaries from $450K to $100K. Raise teacher salaries by $10K each. You have enough money to help 70 teachers of the TENS OF THOUSANDS in unions currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasDenton 79 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 I wasn't really trying to compare apples to oranges. I just believe that people in these higher up positions in education (be they public or private) are making insane amounts of money and don't seem to be doing anything useful with it. They got into these positions to help people in this field (one of those things being better wages) and yet they seem to be turning into fat cats. It just doesn't set a very good example. Teachers' pay gets cut left and right with no raises worth anything in sight, but these people are extremely well off and simply making more and more money. That's the way I see it. I'm not saying cut their pay down to nothing (they are in a higher position that they worked hard to get, so they do deserve more pay) but it just seems like something could be done to soften the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 I wasn't really trying to compare apples to oranges. I just believe that people in these higher up positions in education (be they public or private) are making insane amounts of money and don't seem to be doing anything useful with it. They got into these positions to help people in this field (one of those things being better wages) and yet they seem to be turning into fat cats. It just doesn't set a very good example. Teachers' pay gets cut left and right with no raises worth anything in sight, but these people are extremely well off and simply making more and more money. That's the way I see it. I'm not saying cut their pay down to nothing (they are in a higher position that they worked hard to get, so they do deserve more pay) but it just seems like something could be done to soften the situation. But the difference in public (10x) and private (100x-500x) is so stark that it makes it apples to oranges. If anything, Congress should make like Japan and cap CEO salaries to a certain percentage of worker wage. Do this, and we'll end this damn recession. But Congress is useless and ineffective, partly due to the many Criscoed palms in the halls. And again, you're mentioning teacher pay cuts without recognizing that organizations like the NEA, outside lobbying Richmond and Charleston, have little to do with the arrangement. And if anything, they are fighting for HIGHER wages while keeping their own executives' wages comparatively modest. As far as the year-to-year salaries and expenditures, look no farther than your school board. Put a different way, unions' pay scales are an example of something to emulate, not what to avoid. Again, I'm not a union crony, but please find some other ground to attack unions other than a half-truth FOX article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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